Politics

With less than one month until the general election, the candidates, along with their campaigns and supporters, are pulling out all the stops to sway voters their way, especially in Ohio, a key, if not essential, prize in winning the presidency.

Join us Thursday morning at 9:20 October 18, as we gauge the current status of the presidential campaigns. You can send your questions to impact@wvxu.org. We’re also on Twitter. Impact Cincinnati, on 91.7, WVXU.

This morning WVXU Political Reporter Howard Wilkinson talks with Maryanne Zeleznik about the latest ruling in in person voting the three days before the election, the candidates in Ohio again this week and what the latest job numbers mean to the race.

Along with voting for president this November, Ohioans will decide on Issue 2, a redistricting amendment that would create a 12-person citizen commission to draw legislative and congressional district maps in the state.

Join us Thursday morning at 9:20 October 11, as we explore the details of Issue 2, and how it could affect future elections in Ohio. You can send your questions to impact@wvxu.org. We’re also on Twitter. Impact Cincinnati, on 91-7, WVXU.

First Lady Michelle Obama gave 6,800 enthusiastic supporters the inspirational speech they sought Tuesday afternoon at the Duke Energy Convention Center; and hammered home the message that brought her here in the first place.

It was the fact that Tuesday was the first day of early voting in Ohio, a key battleground state that both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney covet tremendously.

“Here in Ohio it is already election day,’’ the First Lady told a cheering and fired-up crowd at the convention center. “Early voting starts today.”

About 50 to 60 people – most of them clearly supporters of President Obama – were the first to file into the Hamilton County Board of Elections early this morning to cast the first ballots in Ohio’s early voting period.

Many of them had spent the night in tents and sleeping on lawn chairs on a night of off-and-on rain to be among the first in line.

The line of people stretched from the door of the board at 824 Broadway to the Hamilton County Family Courts building at 800 Broadway.

Some Hamilton County employees could see a big change coming to their health insurance. Commissioner Chris Monzel wants to make the county's Medical Expense Reimbursement Plan (MERP) mandatory for all eligible, non-union employees.